The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for placing a straw into a container. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for placing a straw into a container which can be incorporated into an automatic fluid filling line for the container.
Various designs have been proposed in the prior art for placing a straw within a beverage container. The straw is designed to become accessible to the user when the beverage container is opened. One prior art design relies upon the user to manipulate the container once it is opened to align the straw with the opening. Other prior art designs include a mechanism located within the container which has the ability to position the straw in alignment with the opening. The act of opening the container imparts a force and/or motion to the mechanism which then positions the straw in alignment with the opening. Still other prior art designs releasably trap the straw within the container. Once the container is filled, the straw is released in the container to be located within the closed opening. When the container is opened, it extends out of the container through the opening.
While each of the prior art designs have their advantages and disadvantages, one thing they all have in common is the need to be assembled within the container automatically. Modern beverage filling lines operate automatically and some operate at a relatively high speed in order to mass produce the filled beverage containers. If a beverage container is going to include a straw disposed within the container, the straw delivery system must be able to be easily installed within the container before, during and after filling. Thus, there is a need to develop a mechanism and method for insertion of the straw delivery system automatically such that it can be incorporated into an existing automatic and/or high speed filling line.
The present invention provides the art with a unique mechanism which is capable of inserting a straw into a beverage container automatically. The mechanism of the present invention can be incorporated into an existing automatic and/or high speed beverage container filling line or the mechanism of the present invention can be a stand alone system which provides containers having straws which are accumulated and then transferred to the filling machine manually or by other methods known well in the art.
Other advantages and objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the subsequent detailed description, appended claims and drawings.